Case Study: Intranet Design for

Blended Learning ActivitiesBram Moreinis

Game Face Web Designhttp://gamefacewebdesign.com

The Empowered Teacherhttp://empowered-teacher.com

845-750-6554

All K-12 School Sites Need:1. Teacher Home Page: Public-facing page

with links for students, parents, colleagues to go to public or login-required pages. One per customer.

2. Course Page: Public-facing page about the curriculum for a course. This could be generated by an individual teacher, or be a link from a curriculum map.

3. Class Page: Public or private pages to post current class activity, with links to lesson pages and other resources.

4. Resource Pages: Standard page content, general purpose, associated with the teacher as author, associated with a syllabus, lessons, etc. etc.

Drupal Intranets Also Get:1. Book Pages: Sections of pages in

sequence, with menus, able to be printed singly or together as sections in PDFs.

2. Project Pages: Group pages that associate users and content types with a learning activity.

3. Activity Pages: Activity descriptions associated with a project page, since a project has many activities.

4. Student Accounts: So they can create content to submit online.

5. Custom Content: Virtual Cards, Profiles, other teacher-defined types that go with activities.

But Wait, There’s More!1. Web Forms: “Worksheets” for

home submission with spreadsheets showing replies.

2. Comments: Discussion threads, able to emulate standard forums.

3. Private Messages: Enabling ongoing communication between teacher and students within the Intranet, no email needed.

4. Polls, Five-Star Ratings, etc: other options for sustaining online communication and collaboration among a class.

Learning Intranet (“Sandbox” + “Project”)

ProjectSite

ProjectSite

Annual Cycle

• Same Every Year– Courses– Teachers– Projects– Activities– Content Types– Workflows

• Different Every Year– Sections– Students– Student Work

• Outside the Frame– Project Site

Planning Intranet (“PLCs” + “Project Plans” + “Ticket System”)

Detail of Total Intranet

http://empowered-teacher.com/portal-brief

To start….• Planning Site– Open Atrium– Project Planning– Tech Planning– Web Planning– Ticketing System

• Sandbox Site– The “Learning

Intranet” we’ve been talking about so far

Case: Springs District

• Three Intranet Sites: Planning, Learning, Project• Conference Day Preparation (Planning Site)• Conference Day Presentation• Conference Day Follow-Up• Project Development (Planning Site)• Project Implementation (Learning, Project Sites)• Project Evaluation: Take-Aways

What We Did

• RockClimbr: Blogs, Wikis, 2-Dos, Milestones, etc. – RockClimbr: In-Service Day Planning – sessions, logistics– RockClimbr: In-Service Day Training – sign up and use OA– RockClimbr: Project Brainstorming – other groups to make?– RockClimbr: Technology Planning – implications?

Plan the Conference Day

Planning Site Version 1: Basecamp

Blog: Discussing the Project

To-Do + Milestones

Wiki: Session Descriptions

Files: Word Doc

Activities: Custom Content Type

CustomAdvantages:

• Add Fields– Taxonomy– CCK

• Make Views• Sidebar• Full Page

Session Survey: All Faculty

This was the first time faculty had been asked, “What sessions would you like to see offered on Superintendent’s Conference Day?”

They’re favorite? : “Getting to know the Admins”

Drupal Webforms Analyze Results

Hold the Conference Day

1. “Enhancement Ideas”Presentation & Discussion: Pedagogy, Planning

2. The Empowered Teacher Website, Pt. IIntro: Drupal CMS

3. Using Drupal for Project Management.Train: Planning Intranet

4. The Empowered Teacher Website, Pt. IIDemo: Planning site to Sandbox Site

5. Learning TeamsBrainstorm: project ideas

My Morning Session: “1. Technologies that Enhance Student Learning” – 43 attendees

Web 2.0 implies Learning 2.0• Neo-Millenials: Wired kids are accustomed to

choosing their engagements – whom they interact with, what they interact about, when and where they use whatever online tools they like. Thousands of channels at the same time.

• Social Learning: Getting Neo-Millenial buy-in requires a shift from “everyone learns whatever the sage on the stage is teaching” to “everyone teaches and learns from each other about what each cares about, with a guide on the side.”

Sample Blended Social Learning

TECH SCOUTS CYBERFAIR• Each group has a kiosk with an

exhibit demonstrating a computer skill.

• They explain to guests how they made the exhibit, and why they were interested in it.

• Then they teach the guest the skill. • They had to make sure that the

guest would be able to answer questions like: – What is this exhibit about? – Will the skills be useful to you, or

the school? – What skills are needed to do well

in this area?

http://hvscouts.com

• Rockclimbr –Blogs, Wikis, Calendars, 2-Dos, etc. – Teachers: Comment on Brainstormed Projects– Consolidate into Printable WIKI– Create “buy in” survey to determine interest for each project– Draft the Sandbox Site based on survey results

Follow Up with Planning Site

Sessions Brainstormed during SCD

Follow-Ups from Group Brainstorming

Follow-Up Interest Survey

Customizing the Sandbox

At this point, I decided to export the content to Open Atrium…..

• Open Atrium –Blogs, Wikis, Calendars, 2-Dos, etc. – Migrate Select Groups based on Survey Responses– Create In-Service Project Offering (45 hours)– Solicit Proposals from Teachers– Form the OPLC (different projects, learning from each other)

2. Plan the Projects

• Open Atrium –Blogs, Wikis, Calendars, 2-Dos, etc. – Blog: Discuss the proposals, with expert feedback– Wiki: Create project plans as “Books”– ToDo: CaseTracker for who does what by when– Calendar: Plan and Hold Skype Meetings

3. Create the

Projects

• Project Proposal: Civil War, Grade 7• Planning Discussions: Lessons & Resources• Civil War: Topic Cards: What find interesting? • Civil War: Web Form: Choose Your Persona• Civil War: Create Your Profile• Civil War: Comment on Slavery Articles)

4. Run the Projects:

Ex: Civil War

• Students Completed Activity Review Forms http://empowered-teacher.com/pages/civil-war-survey-responses

5. Evaluate The Results